The Doctor's Treasure
by Kamayeth
Summary: Further adventures of the Tenth Doctor.
1. The Beginning

"I don't want to go." ~Ten

"I don't want you to go, either. You need more adventures. Here, let me fix that for you." ~Me

(Set after "The Next Doctor")

The Doctor's Treasure

Chapter 1

The Beginning

The Doctor ran close behind Martha down an unfamiliar corridor within Torchwood, following a high, keening wail.

"What is it? What's happened?"

Martha glanced at him and seemed to be considering what to say. "So, the mind of a Time Lord receives more information than the mind of a human, right?"

The Doctor wasn't entirely sure where the question was leading, but he was very sure he didn't like it. "Yes. Much more."

"I thought so." Then, to herself, "Her mind must be drowning in information."

He frowned as he followed her into a pristine laboratory. "Whose mind?"

Martha nodded toward a hospital bed tucked into the far corner. "Hers."

A girl in her late teens or early twenties sat on the bed, holding her head and rocking. The wailing they'd been following was coming from her.

The Doctor rushed over. "You put a Time Lord mind into a human?!" He had a sudden, horrible flashback to Donna.

"No. Well, not exactly." As the Doctor's fingers touched the girl's temple and her eyes locked on his he heard Martha say, "She's not human anymore."

He closed his eyes, the better to see within, and found that this was indeed a Time Lord mind, but not fully formed. It lacked critical infrastructure and was resting on a core of human intelligence. The girl's human-based mind did not possess, or could not access, the tools necessary to cope with the onslaught of new information.

Gently, the girl's heartbeat a double cadence in the background, the Doctor began to guide her mind. 'Here,' he told her, 'use _this_ to handle _that_. Put _this_ information _here_. And _that_ can go _there_,' and so on, helping her sort new sensations and process new data. When he was done, he withdrew and found the girl staring at him, wide-eyed but calmer.

"Who are you?" she whispered.

"I'm the Doctor, and I'm going to take care of you. Trust me."

She nodded shakily.

"Good. Now sit tight while I get this sorted." He stood and turned to his erstwhile companion. "Talk to me, Martha."

He listened quietly as she told of the Torchwood experiments using DNA collected secretly from Harold Saxon, infused into critically injured girls they'd surreptitiously collected from accident scenes, trying to create a Time Lord. They'd failed repeatedly, but refined the process each time until, finally, the regeneration process had triggered for one test subject.

"Why would you do that?" the Doctor demanded.

"It was for you, Doctor! Everyone who has traveled with you has left. We wanted you to have someone who could… y'know, stay. Maybe."

"And did _she_ consent to all of this?"

"She was dying! We saved her!"

The Doctor glanced it the girl, who was watching the exchange closely. "I want to go home."

He turned back to Martha. "Her family?"

She handed him a newspaper clipping which featured a picture of a girl superimposed on a photo of a car crumpled against a tree. "They believe she's dead."

"Why would they believe that if her body wasn't there?"

"There _was_ a body, just not hers. We substituted a body that we had… on hand." She addressed the girl. "I'm sorry, but you can't go home."

"But why? I could go to them and explain! Tell them it was a mistake!"

Martha shook her head, went over to a cabinet, and pulled out a mirror. She handed it to the girl, who took it cautiously. She looked and gasped at her reflection, and then gingerly touched her cheeks, her nose, her mouth. Her hair was shorter and wavier than the girl's in the newspaper photo, her eyes dark rather than light. Her lips trembled and tears welled up. "What have you done to me?" she choked. "This isn't my face." She looked at them in bewilderment. Her voice shook. "What have you done to me?"

"No. No, no, no, no," the Doctor murmured as he gathered her gently in his arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He rocked her gently as she sobbed.

Martha watched them sadly for a moment, and then quietly left.

They sat like that for a time, until the girl's sobs quieted into sniffles. The Doctor offered her a handkerchief and asked, "What's your name?"

She took a moment to blow her nose before answering, stuffily, "Giselle. Giselle Chandler."

"Giselle." he repeated. "That's beautiful."

She smiled, just a little. '"I always hated it." She sniffed, then sighed. "I guess I can't say it's mine any more, though, can I? Giselle Chandler is… dead." The last word was barely a whisper.

He considered that for a heartbeat before answering, "Well, it is true that the human you were on the outside is dead, but _you, _the person inside, are still very much alive."

"She said I'm not human anymore."

"No. You're a Time Lord. Well, Time Lady, I suppose, if you prefer."

"You mean, like an alien?"

He nodded. "Well, not from _my _perspective, but yes, basically."

"And this whole… having a new face thing is normal?"

"Yeah. You get used to it."

She shook her head. "O… kay. So, what does a Time… Person do?"

"Well, I travel, mainly."

"What, in a spaceship?"

He grinned. "Yep."

She pondered this new information. "This all feels like a dream. I'm not going to wake up, though, am I?"

"I'm sorry, no."

She nodded, then asked, abruptly, "Is your name really just 'Doctor'?"

"No. That's the name I chose. Time Lords keep their true names secret." He considered her. "I suppose you'll need to choose a name, too."

She blinked, surprised. "I'll have to think about it."

She sat quietly for a few minutes, shell-shocked, trying to reconcile her new reality. He kept an arm around her and let her think things through.

After a while she asked, "Can I see your spaceship?"

"Absolutely." He held out his hand and she took it. He led her back down the corridors until they reached the police box.

"Here she is. My TARDIS. Time and Relative Dimensions in Space," he announced with pride.

She stared. "You're kidding."

"Oh, you've just got to give her a chance." He opened the door and invited her in with a flourish.

She stepped over the threshold. Then she stepped back out. She walked around one side of the box, then the other. She came back to the door.

He grinned. "Well, what do you think?"

"How is that possible?"

"What?" he asked innocently.

"It's bigger on the inside."

"_There_ it is!"

Her eyes shifted to him. "You're enjoying this!" she accused.

"Every second! One of my favorite things, actually. Look around, if you like."

She went inside and started exploring in earnest. "You can go anywhere in the universe in this?"

"Yep. And time," he added nonchalantly.

Her mouth fell open. "It's a time machine, too?"

He nodded.

"Get out!" Her next question was uncertain. "And you would let me travel with you?"

"I think I would rather enjoy it, actually. Gets lonely all by myself."

"You don't travel with anyone? No other Time Lords or anything?" She eyed him suspiciously. "You're not some sort of psychopath, are you?"

"I guess that depends on who you ask." He took a sudden interest in a spot on one of the struts. "I don't travel with other Time Lords because there aren't any more."

"What, you're the only one?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry." She ran a hand thoughtfully along the edge of the console. Her brow furrowed. "Hang on. They didn't change me into a Time Lord just so you and I could make little Time… Babies or something, did they?"

"What? No! No, no, no! Absolutely not. Just… no."

"Oh. Well, alright, then."

"There's one more thing," he added. "Your mind still isn't completely stable. I've addressed most of the major issues, but there's still some fine-tuning needed. Since I'm the only one who can do that, you'll _need_ to stay with me for at least a little while."

To his surprise, she laughed. "I guess that narrows down my options then, doesn't it?"

He couldn't help but smile back. "I suppose it does."

The next day, the Doctor found himself inextricably in the company of Captain Harkness, Martha having taken the girl on a shopping trip. He liked Jack well enough, but by the time the girls returned, he was ready to throttle the man. He was never so glad to see the invisible lift activate.

The girls were laughing as they came down, Martha evidently in the middle of a story. "... and then. I swear to God, he described it as a 'big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-winey stuff'!" and her laughter pealed out into the lab.

The girl laughed with her, then quieted, thinking. "Hang on." She looked at Martha, wide-eyed. "He was talking about a time sphere!"

Martha's laughter trailed off. "A what?"

"A time sphere!" she repeated with growing enthusiasm. "See, we refer to time as the fourth dimension, but it's really only one-dimensional. Well, not even, since we can move only one way on a timeline. But theoretically, if you added a second time dimension, you could have a plane of time. And if you added a third, you could have a sphere of time. So the Doctor, or at least his ship, could be accessing two extra dimensions of time." She grinned, eyes sparkling. "That's so cool!"

"How do you know all that?"

The girl shrugged. "I like to read."

The Doctor's voice made her jump. "Oh, I like you!"

She cocked her head at him. "Well, one would hope," she teased.

"Nice shoes, by the way."

She glanced down at her new pink Chucks. "Thanks. They're what _all_ the Time Lords are wearing nowadays."

He grinned at her. "Quite right!" He took the myriad of shopping bags from them and sketched a bow. "Shall I show you to your room, my good Lady?"

She returned a curtsy, incongruous with her jeans and t-shirt. "That would be lovely, kind sir." She took his proffered elbow and the two of them left together, for all the world like a proper Lord and Lady.

Jack and Martha were left staring after them, open-mouthed.

Martha spoke first. "Oh, he's in so much trouble."

Jack just shook his head. "That, or all the rest of us are."

Their eyes met and they burst out laughing.

A few days later, they stood on a rise of land, in the shadow of a clump of trees, overlooking the funeral. They watched as the casket, all blush and silver, was lowered into the ground. The minister's voice was only a drone of sound from their position. The attendees stood solemnly, the men stoic, the women weeping.

The Doctor glanced at the girl beside him. She had his handkerchief pressed tightly against her lips. Tears streamed down her face. He laid a gentle arm around her shoulders before turning his attention back to the scene below. "They loved you."

Her reply was little more than a shaky exhale. "Yeah."

They matched the rest of the service in silence. Her parents were the last to leave, her mother leaning, sobbing, against her father, he supporting her while silently weeping himself.

"I love you Mum," the girl whispered. "I love you, Daddy." Her quiet words made his hearts try to break themselves to pieces. His grip on her tightened as she began to sob.

She cried for quite a while and he let her, standing quietly and occasionally rubbing her shoulder. Slowly, her tears subsided. She asked him a little shakily, "Can I come back and see them sometimes? I mean," she added quickly, "not to talk to them or anything. Just, y'know, see how they're doing?"

"Of course. Any time you like." He nodded toward the fresh grave. "So, Giselle Chandler has been laid to rest. Any thoughts on a new name?"

"No. All my ideas are either really lame or sound incredibly pretentious. It may take a while to find the right one."

He nodded. "Sometimes it does."

She wiped her eyes, blew her nose, took a deep breath and said, "Okay. I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

He looked doubtful. "Because we can wait longer if you think you need to."

She gave him an appraising look. "Listen," she reassured him. "I've lost a lot. My life, my family, my _humanity_ are all gone. I can't say that I'm over it, but I've thought about it. I realized that, regardless of what Torchwood did, I was dead. And I've decided that, if Martha and Jack and the others had given me a choice," she looked him straight in the eye. "I would've chosen this."

"Really?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Beats being dead."

He nodded. "Valid point."

"Besides, there's just too many memories here. If I stay, I think I'll go mad."

"I know that feeling," he said quietly, then, "So where do you want to go?"

"You're leaving it up to me?"

"Yep. Anywhere you want. Anywhen you want."

She looked thoroughly overwhelmed. "Wow. I'll have to think about it."

Back at Torchwood, they met with Jack and Martha at the TARDIS to say their goodbyes. Martha declined the Doctor's offer to go with them, and the Doctor declined Jack's request to join them. There were hugs all around, then the Doctor and his new companion boarded.

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor asked, "So where are we headed?"

"You know, I've always loved the ocean."

He grinned. "Oh, I know just the place."

She watched in fascination as he circled the console, turning knobs and flipping switches.

"The planet Aqu'ul," he announced. "Home of the Ceph. It's a completely ocean world - no land masses at all." His eyes sparkled with excitement. "You're gonna _love_ it!"

He pulled the last lever, sending the TARDIS on its way with a jolt.

_A/N: Thanks for reading! I sincerely hope I've done the Doctor and Co. justice. I didn't have anyone to proofread for me, so please let me know if there are any spelling or grammar errors or gaping plot holes I've missed. Thanks!_


	2. Aqu'ul

Chapter 2

Aqu'ul

The Doctor always loved watching a new companion's reaction to their first journey, but he was horrified to see the girl bend double, clutching her head. She toppled in the erratic flight and he stumbled toward her, clinging to the console's handrail.

When he reached her, he braced himself against a support column and pulled her to him, her back against his chest, and touched his fingers to her temples.

The jump into the time vortex had thrown her mind into chaos. He worked to stabilize her reaction to the strong influence, but it was like trying to help her find her sea-legs in the middle of a hurricane. The journey ended before she really got the hang of it and he spent a few minutes setting her mind back in order again.

"I'm so sorry." he murmured.

She rubbed her face, "It's alright," she said shakily. "It just caught me off guard."

"Oh, it did more than that. Won't happen again, though. Well, shouldn't. Well, not as bad, at least." He took a deep breath. "Probably."

She turned a little to regard him out of the corner of her eye. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Doesn't it?"

She smiled. "You need more practice." She scrambled to her feet and he followed.

"You think so?"

"Yep."

Not entirely sure how to respond to that, he moved to the doors. "Ready to take a look?" he asked, then opened them with a flourish, revealing a blue-green sea that stretched to the horizon.

She walked to the threshold and looked out. Deep purple clouds bruised the skies to her right, pink lightning forking through their shadows. A large creature breached not far to her left, then another, and another, each one closer. Soon she could see wakes on the sea's surface where the pod was coming to investigate. They came alongside, regarding the TARDIS and her inhabitants out of intelligent eyes. The girl knelt and placed a hand gently on one of the creatures, marveling at the thoughts that bubbled through her mind: fish, and song, and the crisp, cold waters of the deep.

"Beautiful," she breathed.

He smiled at her. "Yeah."

She cocked an eyebrow at him and he stammered, 'Well... I mean..."

She shook her head, then watched as the creatures, their curiosity satisfied, slipped away.

"So, you want to go under?"

Her head snapped around. "What? You mean under... the water?"

He nodded and she answered enthusiastically in kind.

He returned to the console and started making adjustments. With a turn and flip and an "Allons-Y!" the TARDIS plunged beneath the waves.

An expanse of soft blue-green appeared just beyond the doors, held at bay by some mechanism of the TARDIS.

"Can I touch the water?"

"Go for it."

She reached out a finger and tentatively poked it through the surface. The tension held, so she put her other fingers through and waved them around, creating rippling patterns in the doorway.

"Cool."

He watched her a moment before declaring, "Not much to see here, is there? Let's see what else we can find, shall we?"

The ship accelerated and she jumped back with a squeak as the water bowed inward, then she stepped forward again to watch avidly out.

After a few moments the shadow of an immense reef materialized in the water. The Doctor slowed as they approached and maneuvered carefully through the maze of coral. Fish of every color swam up curiously, then darted away, creating a kaleidoscope of activity outside the doors.

He found a likely spot, out of the way, but affording a fine view, and brought the TARDIS to a stop. Then he joined the girl at the doors.

He watched with her, alternating between studying the reef and studying her. He never tired of seeing he wonder on the faces of his companions.

A school of fish swam by, accompanied by something that vaguely resembled a mermaid, if mermaids were mostly octopus. The creature regarded them warily out if large dark eyes, its fin-like ears waving in the current. The Doctor waved cheerily.

"That's amazing! What is it?"

"She's one of the Ceph." He called out to her. "Hello! I'm the Doctor!"

The Ceph girl whistled sharply and her school circled a nearby outcrop and began to graze. She then swam to the TARDIS, coming to float at eye-level with the girl, who reached her hand into the water invitingly. The Ceph twined long, boneless fingers around the offered hand, delicate suckers holding firmly but not unpleasantly. The girl gasped as the Ceph communicated.

"Please," her voice sounded in their minds, soft and oddly fluid, "I've heard of you. Help us. Our Queen is missing."

The Doctor frowned. "Missing?"

"Yes. She left to attend the Council and then her voice went silent. The oracle says she's not dead, but can tell us no more than that."

The Doctor asked, "Where is the Council held?"

She pointed. "A mount two days swim from here." A mental image accompanied the directions.

"Got it. We'll find out what happened. I promise."

"Thank you. I will tell the rest of my pod." She swam to her school as the TARIDS doors closed and the ship pulsed into nothingness.

The ship rematerialized at the Council Mount.

"We'll start our search here," the Doctor explained, striding to the door, "and then we'll... oh." He held up his hands at the bristle of spear-points that greeted him. "Hello."

"Who are you?" the owner of the foremost spear demanded.

"I'm the Doctor, and she," he moved aside so they could see the girl, also with her hands raised, "is my friend. We're here to help."

Almost as one, the spears lowered. "I have heard tales of you, Doctor. We will be glad of any assistance you can render."

"Right then." The Doctor lowered his hands, the girl following suit. "Glad that's cleared up. Now, what can you tell me about this disappearance?"

"Only what a young serving girl witnessed from a distance: a shadow from above and a cloud in the water. Then everyone fell asleep and strange creatures descended, gathered up the Queens, and took them to the surface. She says the shadow then departed in that direction." He pointed. "But none of our scouts have been able to find any trace of it."

"_All_ the Queens were taken? That's not good. But we'll find them. You have my word."

"Good luck to you, Doctor."

The TARDIS doors closed again and the Doctor headed to the console. He pulled a monitor toward him and started punching buttons and twirling dials, all watched closely by his companion. He studied the monitor, made a few more adjustments, and studied the monitor again. "There you are." He glanced at the girl. "Hang on."

She barely had time to grab a handrail before the TARDIS jolted away.

They landed with a bump and opened the doors to the interior of what appeared to be a scientific vessel. There were huge liquid-filled vats, tubes running up the walls and along the ceiling, and an enormous computer console along one wall. Almost every surface was a pristine, clinical white.

"Now, let's find ourselves some Ceph Queens."

"You think they're on this ship?"

"I'm sure of it."

"Well, if this is a research vessel, maybe they're just studying them. Maybe they've even released them already."

The Doctor stuck his finger in one of the vats, then touched it to his tongue. He smacked his lips a few times, then made a face. "Blah. Brine. No, I'm afraid this only looks like a research vessel. It's really a harvesting ship."

"And they're harvesting the Queens?" He nodded and she asked. "What for?"

"Their eggs."

"Why?"

"Ceph Queen caviar is a delicacy. One of the most expensive foods in the universe. And," he gave her a significant look, "it's only available on the black market."

"It's illegal."

"Yes. Mainly because the extraction process is fatal. Ah, here we are." He surveyed the computer, either missing or blatantly ignoring the girl's open-mouthed look of horror. He donned his glasses, tapped a few keys, squinted at the display, tapped a few more keys, squinted again. Then, apparently giving up the endeavor as hopeless, employed his sonic screwdriver.

"There we go." He pointed at the screen. "Looks like we're here, and," his finger moved, "the Queens appear to be held there."

"Well, let's go."

"Right."

They worked their way carefully through several empty corridors.

"It's so quiet. Seems like there should be some guards or something."

"Small ship, planet-sized ocean. They probably weren't expecting company. Not to mention they likely want as few people involved as possible."

"Still, it's creepy."

They crept along a little farther, then the Doctor held up his hand and stopped. "Do you hear that?"

The girl concentrated, listening, then shook her head. "I don't hear anything."

"Don't listen with your ears, listen with your mind."

The girl concentrated again, brows drawing together. "I hear it! It sounds... muffled or something, though."

"Hm. So it does." He peered through a doorway. "This looks like the place."

The room was dominated by an enormous tank which rose up through the decks and opened to the sky. The Ceph queens were inside, huddled in a narrow band of shadow, away from the spears of sunlight cutting through the water. Their skin was an inflamed pink, rather than the pearly gray of the other Ceph.

The Doctor put his hand on the tank and frowned. "It's far too warm for them. We need to hurry."

He leaned forward and ran his tongue over the surface of the tank. His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Of course! No wonder they sound muffled!" He turned to the girl. "This is glassine quartz. It's a natural psychic dampener. Quite brilliant, really." He noticed the look the girl was giving him.

"What?"

"You can tell what it is by _licking_ it?"

He quirked a smile at her and tipped his head toward the tank. "Try it."

She gave him a dubious look before giving the tank a quick lick. She smacked her lips experimentally, feeling the substance on her tongue. It was smooth, faintly mineral, and left an odd sparking sensation dancing across her tongue. She wrinkled her nose. "That's weird!"

"Every substance in the universe has a different flavor and... oh."

One of the queens had approached, her tentacled hand resting opposite the Doctor's. She looked out at them hopefully.

"We're here to help, Your Majesty," the Doctor said loudly.

She nodded, then looked behind him and shot away.

''HEY!"

The two turned to find themselves in the sights of a harpoon gun. "How did you two get on board?!"

"Well, we... um..."

A look of horror crossed the man's face. "What have you done?"

The Time Lords spun to find that the queens, one by one, were floating lifelessly toward the surface. The crewman, panicked, ran for a console and began frantically adjusting settings. While his back was turned, The Doctor pointed his screwdriver at the console. The unit sparked, throwing the man to the floor. The queens popped back to life and gathered near the Doctor.

"Thanks." he told them. "We're going to get you out of there."

The man shifted, groaned, and struggled to sit. The Doctor grabbed his companion's hand.

"Run."

They dashed back out the door and down the corridor. A moment later, an alarm blared. The Doctor stopped in front of a door marked 'Engine Room' and soniced it open. He pulled the girl in after him and sonic-locked the door behind them. He put his finger to his lips and they listened as footsteps approached and paused for a heartbeat. The door rattled, and then the footsteps continued.

Breathing mutual sighs of relief, they surveyed the room.

"Oh," the girl breathed, eyes sparkling, "Think of all the trouble we could cause in here."

He grinned. "Well, I suppose we should lie low for a little longer."

"Allons-Y?"

"Allons-Y!" He laughed

They raced around the room, flipping switches, jamming mechanisms, and generally creating all the havoc they could. By the time they finished, smoke was rising from several places and the room had fallen silent except for an alarming whine coming from somewhere in the machinery.

The Doctor surveyed their handiwork. "Now, that's a job well done. It won't take them long to find us now, though."

''Time for another quick getaway?"

"Exactly."

The Doctor unlocked the door and motioned the girl to follow him into the empty corridor. They hurried as quietly as they could. They heard voices just as they reached a staircase, so they climbed. They stopped at the next deck and listened. They heard no sounds of pursuit, so they stopped to consider their next move.

"Our best bet will probably be on the top deck, where the tank opens up.'"

"Right."

They climbed two more flights, then through a door that opened onto the flat expanse of the topmost deck. The opening of the queen's tank gaped in the center. They knelt at the edge and peered in at the upturned faces of the prisoners. The Doctor lay down and stretched his hand down. The tips of his fingers barely brushed the water.

"Can we pull them out?"

He considered as he pushed himself upright again. "I don't think their limbs could handle the weight of their own bodies outside of the water. We'd pull them to pieces."

"Ooh." She grimaced. "No good."

"No. We have to let them swim out on their own." He turned, surveying the ship, weighing their options. He saw only one possible course of action. "We have to sink the ship:"

She stared at him. "O... kay. And how are we going to do that, exactly?"

"Um, haven't quite figured that out yet."

There was a sudden, hushed murmuring from the tank, then one of the queens rose toward them. "We believe we can assist, though it may be dangerous for you."

The doctor looked at his companion and she shrugged. "If it helps them, I'm game."

"Alright. What do you need from us?"

"Our people cannot find us because they cannot hear us. But if we could send our voices through you, over the top of the tank, our voices might reach them."

"Like a broadcast antenna."

"Right." The Doctor pondered this. "It could work, but the psychic call will be incredibly loud. It could damage your mind. Permanently."

"Well, were rather short of options, and besides," she looked him in the eye, "what good is a second chance at life if I don't use it for some good?"

His lips pressed together, but he nodded. He turned to the queens. "What do we do?"

"Thank you. We require a chain of direct physical contact."

The girl stepped to the edge. "Alright. You might want to back up, Majesties." When the queens had moved to the far side, she jumped in. The Ceph surrounded her, supporting her, each one touching her. She reached up a hand and the Doctor grabbed it.

The blast of psychic energy came with no warning. It utterly consumed his mind and vibrated through his head with such intensity that it was all he could do to not break contact. The sound of it deafened him, the pain blinded him. He screamed, and then it was over. Blackness overcame him.

He woke, suddenly, to angry shouting and vibrations thrumming through the ship's structure. He shook his head, then remembered. He bolted upright checking frantically for his companion.

She was still in the tank, eyes closed, face pale, held by the Ceph.

"Oh, no."

"She lives, Doctor!"

"But I can't pull her out by myself! I need my ship!"

"We will protect her."

He raced back down the stairs and through the corridors, grateful that the ship's crew members were busy fighting the Ceph warriors. On the second set of stairs, the ship suddenly canted to one side, throwing him off balance. He stumbled down the remaining steps, using the wall for support as the deck leaned more and more toward vertical. A wave of ankle-deep water flowed down the corridor, soaking his shoes. The farther down he went, the more the ship tilted and the more the water deepened. He had to swim to reach the TARDIS. He fumbled with the key, and ducked under the surface to unlock the door. He fell inside, slammed the door shut, and ran to the console.

When the TARDIS materialized outside, only a small part of the vessel was still visible. It sunk even as he searched the sea for signs of life. He paced back and forth, scrubbing his hands though his dripping hair.

Then something broke the surface. He heard a deep gasp, followed by coughing. He knelt as the Ceph brought the girl to the threshold and he pulled her in.

One of the Queens regarded them from just below the surface. "Our thanks to you and your companion, Doctor. We are saved and our people will sing of your heroism for generations. Now I must go. We have many wounded to tend."

The Doctor nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty. We were glad to be of service."

She turned to go, but stopped. "One more thing. Take good care of that girl. She's a treasure that some would be happy to steal away from you." Then she was gone.

The Doctor turned his attention to his companion. "Are you alright?"

She nodded.

"Good." He grinned at her. "I just found you a name." He dug his sonic screwdriver out of his jacket. With great ceremony he touched it to each shoulder of the still-dipping girl. "I hereby dub thee, 'Treasure'."

"Treasure," she repeated. She ginned. "I like it!" Then she sneezed three times in rapid succession. "Ugh. I think your Treasure needs some dry clothes now," she sniffed.

"Oh, right." He helped her to her feet and watched her wander off toward her room before heading off for a change of wardrobe himself. "My Treasure," he said to himself.

He couldn't stop smiling.


End file.
